Safety device



Feb. 13, 1934. R. v. LEE 1,946,940

SAFETY DEVICE Filed Aug. 18, 1932 Emme/wbb@ RO/lard Lee Patented Fels.13, 19u34/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 18,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical safety devices and has for itsobject to provide a device in which an electrical circuit will be brokenautomatically and simultaneously with and by force of shock. s

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterfor use in connection with electrical wiring systems and principally foruse in connection with wiring systems on motor vehicles, to prevent thestarting of fire from the electrical system, as frequently happens whenwires are broken in collisions and when the motor vehicles turn over.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter with means for operation by hand, when desired, to preventbattery leakage and danger-of fire starting from defective wiring whenmotor vehicles are not in use.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter moreparticularly described, fully claimed and illustrated ln theaccompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the device embodying myinvention.

Figure 2 is a view in vertical longitudinal section through same.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view like Figure 2 but showing theoperation of the manual control and also showing additional parts insection.

Figure 4 is a view of the elevating post per se, and partly inlongitudinal section, and Figure 5 is an elevational view of the circuitbreaking ball.

Reference now being had to the accompanying drawing in which like andcorresponding parts are designated by like reference charactersthroughout the several views, the numeral 6 indicates the two sectionswhich compose the body, the inner side of same being correspondinglygrooved at 15 and terminating near the top in the concentricsemi-circular concavities 10 and 7 as shown on Figure 3. When the twobody sections are set in place-being opposite with the inner sidesfacing and in spaced relation, as shown in Figure 1, the grooves 15 andconcavities 10 and 7 now form within the body a perpendicular cylindershape chamber 15 terminating near the top in a bowl shape seat 10.Reciprocably positioned in the chamber 15 is a post 11 having a cup-likecap 11 on its upper end which lits in the lower area formed by theportions 7 of the seat 10'. The post 11 is made of nonconductivematerial and in the upper end 11 which is shaped to form the concavehead or seat 1l', is a metal ball 8 which is raised clear of contactwith the 1932. Serial No. 629,388 k body ball seat 10 as shown in Figure3, when the post is raised. The post 11 is placed in the chamber 15 withits lower end resting on lever 17 and its upper end resting in theportion 7 of seat 10', thus uniting with the portion 10 of the body ballseat 10 in forming an exact counterpart of the seated portion of ball 8which fits in this provided body seat 10 perfectly as shown in Figuresland 2, A tunnel 18 through one body section 6 provides an entrancey tochamber 15 and space for operating lever 17 as shown in Figures 2 and 3.Lever 17 which is in the form-of a bell crank, is hinged adjacent theangle of the two arms, in a slotted bolt head 16 by means of a pin 16'through same. This bolt 16 is secured in or through the mounting plate13. Mounting plate 13 may be of metal insulated on top and around theholes where the two connecting and conductance bolts 12 pass through bysuitable material 14, or the entire plate can be nonconductive material.The connecting-conductance bolts 12 are threaded on both ends and oflength to extend below and above the mounting plate as shown in Figures2 and 3. The body sections 6 are held securely in place upon themounting plate by being tapped and threaded in the bottom to connectwith the threaded upper portions of the said bolts 12, and the lowerends of bolts 12 provide a connecting place for the electric wires whichmay be secured to the bolts 12 by using lock nuts of suitable size.

The device may be made of any suitable metal, and the parts cast orstamped out.

I donot desire to limit myself to the particular construction forsecuring the mounting plate as it may be held securely in a number ofways, such as making the plate angle shape with holes in theperpendicular side for securing with bolts to the dash or otherconvenient place.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention works in serieswith the wiring system, the wires being connected to the conductancebolts 12 which circuits the current through the body sections 6 and ball8 when the latter is seated as shown in Figure 1. If a motor vehicleequipped with this safety device turns over or is in collision, theshock will cause ball 8 to jump out of the body section, the ball 8being assisted by its ange 9, thus the device automatically andsimultaneously breaks the circuit.

As a means of preventing battery leakage and re starting from defectiveWiring when motor vehicles are not in use the device may be operated byhand, a suitable rod handle being connected to lever 17 at its insulatedtip 19 and extending through the dash to a convenient place near thesteering wheel. A slight movement of same will operate lever 17 andelevating post 11 thus raising the ball 8 clear of contact with the bodysections 6 which breaks the circuit; an opposite movement of handle willoperate lever 17 and post 11, and reseat the ball 8 to restoring thecircuit.

What I claim isz- 1. An electric safety device, comprising a pair ofmetallic bodies mounted in spaced relation, said bodies having theopposing faces recessed to form a central chamber, means for attachingelectrical wires to the bodies to place the latter in series in anelectric circuit, an elongated member of insulation material slidablydisposed in said chamber, said bodies at the upper end of said chamberbeing formed to provide a semispherical pocket, and a metallic balldisposed in said pocket and electrically connecting the rst two bodies,said elongated member being formed at its upper end to receive saidball, said ball being raised from the pocket by and upon the raising ofsaid elongated member, and means for manually raising said lastmentioned member to lift the ball from contact with the rst mentionedbodies.

2. An electric safety device, comprising a pair of metallic bodiesmounted in spaced relation, means for connecting electric wires withsaid bodies whereby the latter may be placed in series in an electriccircuit, the opposing faces of said bodies being recessed to form avertical chamber therebetween, said bodies having top surfaces in thesame plane and having complementary recesses which together form asemi-spherical pocket, a post of insulation material slidably disposedin said chamber, a cup-like head upon the upper end of said post, saidpocket wall having a countersink to receive said head whereby the innersurface of the same will be ush with the pocket wall, a metal balladapted to seat in said pocket and resting in said head, and manuallyoperable means extending into said chamber beneath the lower end of saidpost whereby the latter may be raised to lift the ball from contact withthe spaced bodies.

3. An electrical safety device, comprising a pair of metallic bodiesmounted in spaced relation, said bodies having top surfaces in the sameplane and adjacent complementary recesses in the surfaces ooacting toform a pocket, means for connecting electric wires with the bodieswhereby the bodies may be placed in series in an electric circuit, ametal body of a contour to snugly fill said pocket and maintainedtherein by gravity to form an electrical connection between the rstmentioned bodies, said first mentioned bodies having vertical recessesin the opposed faces thereof and opening into the first recess andforming a central chamber between the pair of bodies, one of said bodieshaving a transverse passage therethrough opening into the chamber, apost of insulation material slidably positioned in said chamber, a leveroscillatably mounted exteriorly of the chamber and having an endextending through said channel to the interior of the chamber beneaththe post and engaging the latter, and means for effecting theoscillation of the lever to shift the post vertically and raise thesecond mentioned metallic body from contact with the first mentionedbodies.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of upstandingbodies disposed in spaced relation and having their opposed surfacesprovided With vertically extending semi-circular channels which togetherform a circular passage, and each further having a recess cut in its topinto which the adjacent channel opens, which recesses together form anupwardly opening semispherical cup, the said cup having the wall thereofat the bottom recessed to form a countersink, a pin of insulationmaterial slidably disposed in said passage and having a cup-like headadapted to position in said countersink with the top surface flush withthe surface of said pocket, means for raising said pin, means forelectrically connecting the bodies in an electric circuit, a metallicball adapted to rest in said pocket, and a flange extending about saidball and positioning above the tops of said bodies when the ball is insaid pocket.

RICHARD V. LEE.

